ODESSA, Texas — Following the first round of
the West Texas Amateur, five players shared the
lead at 3-under-par 69. Today, only one of those
five remains in the top spot.

First round co-leader and Odessa native Mark
Jones Jr. got off to a sufficient start this
afternoon with a routine even par 36 on the front
nine. After making a bogey on the 12th hole,
Jones kicked it into gear making birdie on three
of his last five holes to finish at 2-under 70 for
the day and 5-under 139 for the tournament,
leading by one.

“I knew after a while that putts would start
falling,” said 27-year-old Jones, “I just kind of
stayed patient and tried not to press...before
this weekend I set a goal for myself, and that’s
about all I’m shooting for.”

Another first round co-leader and Odessa native,
Micah Rodgers, finished this morning with a 1-
under 71, leaving him in a five-way tie for
second at 4-under 140 with Hunter Rawls of
Lubbock, Cory Churchman of Abilene, Matthew
Zampello of Kingwood, and Tanner Gore of El
Paso.

Both Rawls and Churchman fired impressive
rounds of 3-under 69, but Odessa’s Will Kinnaird
and Fort Worth’s Andrew Hudson had the low
rounds of their division at 4-under 68. Kinnaird
currently sits four shots back of the lead, while
Hudson is five.

Forty-eight players from the Open Division at 7-
over or better will play tomorrow morning in
Sunday’s Final Round.

Although Kinnaird and Hudson had impressive
rounds in the Open Division, John McClure in the
Senior Division stole the show with the low
round of the day: a 6-under-par 66. Hailing from
Austin, McClure bounced back from his opening
round of 75 to make a total of eight birdies on
the day.

“Putting was the difference today,” said McClure,
who had 28 putts on the day. “I made a lot of
birdies. I hit the ball close. Yesterday I think I
missed three greens and shot 75. Today I
missed two greens, but I was able to get closer
to the hole and make a lot of putts.”

Tyler’s Jerry Hudgins sits alone in second after
an impressive 4-under 68, getting him to the two
round total of 2-under 142. Jim Quinn of
Arlington follows right behind in solo third at 1-
under 143, while first round leader Luke Groves
of Odessa is in fourth at 1-over 145.

Eighteen players made the cut in the Senior
Division at 9-over or better to compete
tomorrow morning for the championship.
Houston’s Chris Larsen maintains the lead in the
Super Senior division, bouncing back from his
opening round 80 to shoot a 2-under 70, coming
to a 36-hole total of 6-over 150. Sam Boyd of
Horseshoe Bay remains in solo second at 15-
over 159, with Snyder’s Ernie Armstrong moving
into solo third at 16-over 160.

Overall, the field fared better today on the Old
Course at Odessa Country Club. With a field
scoring average of 75.79, the Open Division saw
fourteen rounds under par, the Senior Division
had six, and Larsen had the solo under par round
amongst the Super Seniors.

The final round begins at 7:30 a.m. Sunday. An
awards ceremony will be held immediately after
the conclusion of play.

Eligibility: Entries are open to male amateur
golfers who reside in either region
(North/South) of the state of Texas.
Applicants must have a certified USGA
Handicap Index of 10.0 or less. Applicants
must meet Regional Eligibility as defined by
the
Texas Golf Association (TGA). Please
reference
“TGA Regional Tournament Eligibility” on
www.txga.org for further eligibility details.

Format: 54 holes Stroke Play. No Cut. Senior
and Open division.

Field limit: Tournament Field Limit 120
Players
(Open Division 72 players, Senior Division 48
players). Seniors Division will have a Super
Senior flight within the division. All senior
division contestants will play form the same
tees. Separate champions will be named but
the lowest Senior total regardless of age will
be the overall champion.